500

Week 71: Anchorage, AK

This week, my friends Tim and Angela and I rented a car and drove out along Seward Highway in the direction of Portage glacier to take in the scenery. The Alaskan landscape is awe inspiring. Vast, unspoiled expanses of sea and snow, majestic mountain peaks and towering pines.
Waterfalls and mountain streams that trickle down the sides of steep rock faces that rise above one as one drives the coastal highways. Eagles circle overhead as the sunlight dazzles off the sparkling water and gleams across the polished, icy glazed surfaces of the craggy peaks. Chill, fresh mountain air fills the lungs and numbs the nose and cheeks. Surveying these panoramas, we couldn't help commenting on how small and insignificant we humans are in contrast with the awesome majesty of nature. Truly, I understand now why people choose to make this part of the world their home. Our little band scrambled over rocks, climbed to lookouts and visited a wildlife preservation center where we were able to view bison, moose, caribou.
We had the pleasure of watching a reindeer mom attending to her newborn calf, a fluffy black baby with spindly, still-uncertain legs. I think we tend to get so caught up in the little dramas of our lives, we humans, that we forget that there is a natural world out there, as basic as our true, essential selves, which exists in a timeless cycle that we would do well to connect with more often than we do. How fortunate we are also to live in such a vast and beautiful country that encompasses so many different landscapes and ecosystems. Talk about purple mountain's majesty.

This week marked my 500th performance in "Spamalot." This is half of what several original tour members have performed, but for me it's certainly a significant achievement, and the most performances I have ever given of any one role. It's a mindblower to think of the many places I have been and fine performers who have come and gone from our little "Spamily," and the thousands and thousands of people I have helped entertain over the past 16 months. All I can really say is that I am grateful as hell to have such a great job during these uncertain economic times and to be able to say I am a working actor. It's something I have spent many years dreaming of and struggling for, and to realize that I have been continuously employed as a performer for over a year is humbling and deeply gratifying.

Our second week in Anchorage has been certainly as successful as the first, with word of mouth bringing enthusiastic crowds to the theatre every night. John O'Hurley has integrated himself into our production with finesse and is now a charming, befuddled and delightful leader as King Arthur. We are able to jell somewhat now as a company after a flurry of changes in the cast, and all eyes are set on our San Francisco opening in a few weeks. California, and the happy promise of multi-week "sit downs" in San Francisco and LA have loomed on the horizon all winter, and we are all excited to be on the brink of getting there. From Alaska, we head to Eugene, Oregon, where I will be making a brief pilgrimage to Ashland and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and then, when the company goes on to Spokane, Washington I will be taking a week's vacation to return to New York, conquer my nerves and nail my driving test! From there, it's a week in Denver and then on to our opening in San Francisco. Several of you have written me asking about dates beyond San Francisco, as the official "Spamalot" website has not posted dates yet. We will be at the Ahmanson Theatre in LA from July 7 through September 6, and a week in San Diego follows that engagement. September is as far as our official itinerary goes at present but the tour will continue beyond that.

Vicki is my dresser in Anchorage.
She trained originally to be an actress, and many years ago was offered a teaching job up here, fell in love with Alaska, and stayed. She has taught drama, debate and public speaking as well as math on the high school level up here, and keeps her hand in in the theatre world as often as possible, acting and working wardrobe among other activities. Our whole Anchorage crew has been a friendly, welcoming lot and it has been a most enjoyable engagement. I confess, however, that I am ready for the warm. Pretty as this part of the country is, I am hankering after some real spring weather. Perhaps it's waiting for us in Oregon. More from there next week.